STE: Defining Moments
by ZenosParadox
Summary: RS romance. Malcolm is wistful. Hoshi is at a conferenceand so is Ravis. VERY mushy.


Title: Defining Moments

Author: ZenosParadox

Summary: RS romance. Hoshi's away and everyone notices that Malcolm is wistful. Snapshots of a few days, no dialogue, but still VERY mushy.

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Paramount.  This fiction was written solely for personal enjoyment.

DEFINING MOMENTS

Sub-commander T'Pol heard the sigh coming once again from the tactical station.  She had noticed Lieutenant Reed glancing across the bridge to the communications station, once again appearing disappointed not to see the familiar figure in his view.  Reed quickly turned his attention back to his own console, intent on running diagnostics.  When he finished the protocol, he again glanced across the bridge only to have his disappointment refreshed again. 

The familiar banter the Vulcan had come to expect among the tactical, communications and helm stations was gone.  Except for the occasional sigh from Reed, he appeared to act more as he had when they had first left spacedock on their mission.  The atmosphere on the bridge had lost some of its spark.  Everyone seemed just a little less enthusiastic, but Reed especially seemed more withdrawn.

The Captain quickly agreed to Reed's request to work in the armory.

~~~~~~

Ensign Hoshi Sato waited impatiently in the registration line for the Interplanetary Linguistics Conference.  One would think that with all of the advanced technology available, standing in line would be a thing of the past!  In her case Hoshi had not even been sure she would be attending the conference until 12 hours before it began.

As she stood in line she thought about the daily routine on the Enterprise.  Captain Archer would greet everyone and settle into the Captain's chair, then go to his ready room to work while T'Pol took the bridge.  Travis would be at the helm using his excellent piloting skills to shave time off of their latest course. Trip would be busy making sure his precious engines were in top shape and he would likely miss her at lunch. 

But where would the Lieutenant be?  Sometimes Reed spent entire days in the armory, only coming to the bridge for a quick moment.  On those days she wouldn't see him until dinner.

Reed had dropped her off this morning and Sato thought she had heard him whisper _I'll miss you._

Hoshi's thoughts were drawn back to the conference when she realized she was next.

~~~~~~

Commander Trip Tucker sat alone in the mess hall.  He had avoided lunch until the late in the day.  His usual routine would be disrupted without Hoshi Sato as his dining companion.  They ate lunch together quite often and sometimes the shared meal was the only time the two saw each other during the day. 

Tucker looked up when he saw Reed coming to join him.  He supposed that in the back of his mind this is what he intended all along.  Reed always ate lunch late.  It was an unspoken rule they had about sharing Sato's attention. Malcolm and Hoshi understood that Trip was a mutual friend, but both officers sometimes needed to use Trip as a sounding board.  So Sato would avoid interrupting the two men during breakfast when they often coordinated the demands of Engineering and the Armory.  Reed would avoid disrupting the quiet discussions between Sato and Tucker at lunch.   

As the two men ate lunch they remarked on the work required in each of their domains, but Trip noticed that Malcolm avoided discussing their absent friend. Malcolm's unenthusiastic regard for his lunch was all Trip needed to witnesss to know that his friend missed Hoshi quite a bit more than he did. 

~~~~~~

Sato's mind was overflowing with information by the time the morning sessions ended.  She was standing in line again, this time to grab something for a quick lunch.  She was speaking with other attendees, delighted to have a chance to use her linguistic skills with others who could appreciate her efforts.

She got to the counter and selected something that appeared to be a sandwich, then she noticed a yellow, fruitlike food that reminded her strongly of pineapple.  She quickly added that to her tray with a vague wish that he was here to share it.  For such a serious man, Malcolm could look like such a little boy when presented with an unexpected treat.  Perhaps he and Trip were having lunch together.  They were probably so busy they didn't even know she was gone.

~~~~~~

Reed and Mayweather sat at dinner together.  Mayweather had to keep repeating what he was saying to Reed.  The man's thoughts appeared to be elsewhere.  Mayweather missed missed Sato, but he had a busier social life than Reed.  While it was common for the three of them to eat dinner together, just as frequently Maywather had other friends to dine with, so he left Reed and Sato alone. 

While Hoshi was gone, Travis decided he would be sure to have time to spend with Malcolm at least during dinner.  He finally coaxed a smile out of Malcolm when he reminded him of the Vulcan snowman they had created on the comet. 

Then they remembered that it was Hoshi who had brought the change in orientation in the comet to the attention of the Captain.  She was always concerned about the well being of the crew.  Travis saw Malcolm become wistful again.  So much for trying to brighten his mood.

~~~~~

Ensign Sato was surprised to see Ravis at the conference in the afternoon.  She had been taking a break from the information overload she was experiencing when she saw him at the other end of the lounge.  Ravis had been her sweet, romantic encounter on her shore leave to Risa, but she had not expected to see him again.  Given some of the changes in her life after Risa, she wasn't sure what she would want out of a second encounter.

Hoshi walked up to the group of people he was with and called a quick greeting.  Ravis looked very surprised to see her and slightly disconcerted.  Ravis introduced her as Ensign Hoshi Sato of the starship Enterprise, a Communications Officer he had met previously. 

Hoshi was called away by a group of fellow linguists who were headed to try the local cuisine. Telling Ravis it was nice to see him, she joined the group for dinner but kept wondering what Malcolm and Travis would make of the entrees.

~~~~~~

Reed was in the armory after dinner working on upgrading the targeting for the torpedoes.  He looked up occasionally as if expecting Sato to walk in for target practice at any time.  Then he just shook his head, trying to bring his attention back to the problem at hand. 

Malcolm didn't want to let his mind wander to what Hoshi might be doing.  She was likely to meet many men who would share her talent in linguistics, men who could be open and personally compelling.  

He had no claim on her, he kept telling himself.  No more claim on her now than he had when they had shore leave on Risa. And whose fault was that? Their strangely undefined relationship had to have its basis in friendship and that had to mean one thing: Trust.  What would he do in a similar situation?  

~~~~~~

Ravis was waiting for her in the hotel lounge when she returned from dinner.  He told her how he still thought about her and the time they had spent on Risa.  He told her that he thought he had fallen in love with her then and was still in love with her now. 

Ravis tried to draw Hoshi into his arms but she pulled back and shook her head no.  He tried to grab her again, but Hoshi quickly kicked her foot out to sweep his legs out from under him. 

Malcolm would have been proud of that move, she thought.  Hoshi quickly turned her back on Ravis.  At least she knew where she stood with the man now.  That was more than she could say for her strange relationship with Malcolm at present. 

Ambiguously connected was the term she often used to describe it to herself. There was an attachment between the two, but neither one had yet defined it. She wondered what Malcolm would think if she told him she had seen Ravis again.

~~~~~~

It was late and Reed was in his quarters trying to settle down for the night.  Then he heard the comm link informing him that he had an incoming call from Sato.

Malcolm went immediately to the console, completely unaware of the brilliant smile or the look of longing he gave to the woman who appeared on the viewscreen. 

Hoshi looked at that familiar face. It was easy to find men who were more handsome, but few men ever had as much character as this man's eyes could present.  Hoshi smiled back at Malcolm and they spoke of general things.

_How is the conference?_ How is the ship? 

_Are you finding interesting languages?_  Did you argue with Trip?

_Are you being careful when you go out? _ Will you remember to walk Porthos?

_Meet anyone interesting?_  Meet any new aliens?

Remember to pick me up tomorrow at 1900. 

_I'll be the one taking the shuttle to meet you. _

Then they both said good night and settled down to their dreaming.

~~~~~~

Captain Archer thought he saw a spring in Reed's step when he arrived to take Porthos for a morning walk.  It was Sato's routine to walk Porthos in the morning and the Captain missed the small talk they would share before Porthos would trot merrily off at her heels.

Archer was amused to see Reed in such good spirits.  He wouldn't be surprised if Reed and Porthos took a detour to the mess hall to sneak in some cheese.  Maybe he'd let Malcolm stay on the bridge today until he had to leave to pick up Hoshi. 

~~~~~~

Sato was speaking with her dining companions from last evening during her morning break at the conference.  She saw Ravis watching her from across the room, his stare drawing the attention of a woman in her group.  That's how Hoshi found out about Ravis' wife. 

Poor woman, she had wealth, but little more to attract a man.  Most of the women knew about Ravis.  He was typically such a gentleman, but would play with teaching a woman an obscure language as a way of avoiding revealing personal information about himself.  Yes, Ravis was a fun encounter, many could agree.  

~~~~~~

Ravis watched as Hoshi approached the man who stepped out of the shuttlepod with a warm greeting in her eyes. The man stood still, but as soon as Hoshi was within reach, he drew her into his arms, crushing her to his chest. 

I missed you, they both said simultaneously.

The man put his hand on her chin, tilting her face up to kiss her.  Hoshi brought her hands behind his neck, making sure he couldn't get away until she was completely satisfied with his welcoming kiss. 

How could Hoshi have rejected him for this man, Ravis wondered.  He had not lied to her when he'd confessed he'd fallen in love with her.  Surely that should have been enough.

Hoshi and Malcolm were completely unaware they were being observed by Ravis.  They smiled at each other as they realized they had arrived at the same conclusion.  It was time to define their relationship.

With the faith they had in each other, their hope for the future and their love as a foundation, they could make this work.  Malcolm took her bag and with his hand around Hoshi's waist, led her to the shuttlepod.  They were coming home. 

*****

Author Notes:

This is what happens when I get really mushy.  Occurs several months after the crew return from Risa.  Why? Because I didn't like Ravis and writing is GREAT therapy! Follow-up to Kyupit's Oro, but can be read alone.  4 pages, written May? 2002 and posted at LD.

Thanks for reading.  No reviews necessary. 


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